Persecuted Christians

Testimony of Mahlil Ahmad, a mocker turned worshiper
Read More About The Man with Long Hair Who Changed My Life »

It’s 65 years since Brother Andrew started taking Bibles to persecuted Christians in Eastern Europe. The work of Open Doors, the organisation he founded, has changed significantly in its scope and methods – but at the heart of it is the same God and the same mission.    In July 1955, a Dutchman called Andrew started to encourage the church in Eastern Europe and Russia. To...
Read More About Open Doors at 65: Same mission; new methods »

06/30/2020 Washington D.C.  (International Christian Concern) – We were amazed by the tes­timonials of a group of MBBs in Africa, who con­tinue to live in Muslim-dominated communities in order to reach other Muslims with the Good News. We traveled to Africa to meet with three of these evangelists, two of whom are former Muslims. They gave us a firsthand witness of their work with new...
Read More About Firsthand Witnesses in Uganda »

In this interview, Pastor Ngoc explains the history of Christianity in Vietnam and how persecution has made believers grow stronger - even in the face of Covid-19. Meet Ngoc*, a courageous Vietnamese Pastor who has lived through intense persecution from government, but still leads a thriving church. Here he explains what life was like as a young Christian and how things are for...
Read More About Strength in persecution: an interview with Pastor Ngoc, Vietnam »

In this interview with Heena, an Open Doors partner in India, she explains why persecuted Christians are often last in line for vital aid (and how your support is helping).   A pandemic and its aftermath don’t happen in a vacuum. In many countries, discrimination in aid distribution is another method of persecution. We spoke to Heena*, an Open Doors partner working in India, to...
Read More About Why are Indian Christians last in line for aid? »

Iran is one of the countries that has been hit hard by Covid-19 – possibly 20 times worse  than the reported figures, according to  Open Doors UK and Ireland . Like most churches around the world, believers had to stop meeting – but, for Iranian Christians, meeting together already had to be done in small, secret house churches. “As soon as the outbreak of the virus was...
Read More About Iran: Underground church shares food, love of Jesus during Covid crisis »

Have you ever considered what it cost you to turn to Christ? For some, this decision comes with a lifestyle change away from past sins. For others, it may lead to growing apart from old friends. But for others, it can cost them their livelihood, well-being, and family.  This was the case for Chao Vang, who forfeited nearly everything to pursue Jesus. After choosing to follow...
Read More About Vietnam »

I want to share a story with you about a young man with a family who risked everything to turn to Christ.  It all started when Bwambale Abraham, the son of a Muslim imam in Uganda, and some of his friends decided to attend a Christian outreach event showing the Jesus Film in September of 2019.   His story is especially meaningful to me because I worked with the Jesus Film...
Read More About Film Jesus »

Handwritten letters are making a tangible difference in the lives of imprisoned believers around the world. in 2009, Maryam and Marziyeh were taken before the Iranian Revolutionary Court and commanded to recant their faith. In return, they would be granted their freedom. “We will not deny our faith,” the women responded, “If we come out of prison, we want to do so with honor.” Bible...
Read More About Bringing Light to THE DARKNESS »

Podiya finally receives healing through prayer for her long-term illness, but she must choose between her family’s approval and her newfound Savior “I [was] the talk of the town as a mad woman; things were going worse,” Podiya shared, remembering that day when she stood on the precipice of mental illness, looking down into an abyss of endless suffering. For months, Podiya had experienced...
Read More About FORSAKING EVERYTHING »

05/02/2020 Pakistan  (International Christian Concern) – On Sunday, April 26, a 14-year-old Christian girl from Madina Town, located in the Faisalabad district of Punjab, Pakistan, was abducted by a group of armed Muslim men. According to local reports, the Christian girl’s family has filed a police report and is begging police to recover their relative. According to the First...
Read More About 14-Year-Old Pakistani Christian Girl Abducted in Faisalabad District »

Sadiya Amos, aged 17, went missing from north central Kaduna in northern Nigeria on the night of 5th January. On 7th January, some men came to force her father Amos Chindo to attend a Sharia court in Anchau (in Kubau) without telling him what offence he had committed or even allowing him to tell his family where he was going. A self-proclaimed lawyer, together with the Sharia judge,...
Read More About Nigerian girl, 17, escapes month in locked room after abduction and forcible conversion to Islam »

His 25-year-old brother was tortured and killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Consumed with hate, he wanted to avenge the atrocity, but Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount shook him to the core. “When the Taliban found out my brother was a Christian they hung him upside down, broke his hands and fingers, and burned his face with cigarettes,” Alborz* shared with SAT-7 PARS. “They...
Read More About After the Taliban tortured his brother, he wanted revenge, but God showed him a different way »

In recent years, Christians are facing increasing persecution across West Africa, as Islamic extremism has spread. Countries where attacks had been infrequent are suffering at the hands of Boko Haram, Fulani militants and others. Often women are particularly vulnerable to the long-term effects of such attacks: even if they aren’t killed, they can find it very difficult to earn a living if...
Read More About THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT IN WEST AFRICA »

Mother’s Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the mothers in our lives, whether biological, adopted or spiritual. Motherhood is not easy – and for some persecuted Christian women, becoming a mother has required extraordinary courage and faith.  Ijanada from Nigeria is a 20-year-old mother of two. When she was just 14 years old, Boko Haram kidnapped her and took her to a camp,...
Read More About A CAPTIVE MOTHER'S COURAGE: IJANADA'S STORY »

When people think about Christian persecution, they usually think of the Middle East or perhaps China. Kenya isn’t exactly on their radar.  Many are surprised when we bring them news of persecution in Kenya or talk about our work there. They picture safari rides and tourist venues – the picture of stability in Africa. Those things exist, but there is a darker side to Kenya.  ...
Read More About Persecution of Christians in Kenya nowadays »

03/05/2020 Egypt (International Christian Concern)  – An unknown Egyptian woman and man are making serious attempts to target vulnerable Christian women and girls, according to local media. The individuals pose as a nun and priest, prompting Pope Tawadros to make a statement denying that they have any affiliation with the church. Their real identity remains unknown. The individuals...
Read More About Pair Targets Egyptian Christian Girls »

02/28/2020 India  (International Christian Concern) – According to Morning Star News, three Christians from northern India have been released from prison after more than two months of imprisonment on false charges. According to the freed Christians, their time in jail was a “ nightmare ”, but they were still able to share the Gospel with other prisoners. On November 26, 2019,...
Read More About Indian Christian Pastors Describe “Nightmare” Imprisonment on False Charges »

Our brothers and sisters in North Korea are facing a new kind of danger in the form of the coronavirus – please pray for their protection and for the provision of the right medical treatment.  North Korean defector Timothy Cho knows just how dangerous viral diseases are to those living in poverty in the country. He says, “If there really are people infected with the coronavirus in...
Read More About THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF THE CORONAVIRUS IN NORTH KOREA »

How many terrible things can happen to one person? And how many miracles? Hearing Eun Hye’s* story is a bit dizzying – because half the time, you’re wondering how a person can sustain so many appalling incidents and still keep going. And the other half of the time, you are marvelling at God’s interventions and His plan for Eun Hye. Eun Hye’s grandmother had told her a little bit...
Read More About ONE WOMAN’S EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF ESCAPING NORTH KOREA »

In Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday more than 250 people, 45 of them children, were killed in attacks on three churches and hotels; more than 500 people were injured. • Bombs killed 20 at a Catholic church in Jolo in the southern Philippines. • In China, state-sanctioned and ‘underground’ churches have been harassed or shut down in at least 23 provinces. In Xinjiang, at least one...
Read More About From sub-Saharan Africa to China, Christians experience ‘high’ levels of persecution »

Three things held centre-stage in Nadhir’s* life: marijuana, clubbing and rap music. Although he had grown up in a Muslim family, Nadhir later rebelled. He dropped out of attending the mosque and joined the local rap scene. Then, in his late teens, a friend and fellow rapper handed him a Bible and everything fell into place. “I read this Bible and when I’m reading, I’m feeling like...
Read More About WORLD WATCH LIST CASE STUDY: NADHIR »

Think of your phone. All that technology in the palm of your hand. It listens out for your voice commands, it knows where you are, it can recognise your fingerprints or even your face.  And some governments are very interested in technology like that.  Persecution is going digital. Among the trends discovered in the analysis of the data for the World Watch List 2020 is the...
Read More About WORLD WATCH LIST: PERSECUTION IS GOING DIGITAL »

01/06/2020 Nigeria  (International Christian Concern) – On December 26, 2019, the same day that Boko Haram’s affiliate, Islamic State West Africa Province, beheaded eleven hostages on film, they also killed 3 bridal party members who were heading to a wedding in Adamawa State. This attack killed the bride and two of her close friends who were supposed be in the wedding that would take...
Read More About Boko Haram Beheads Bride and Bridal Party Members on the Way to Wedding »

Three Coptic churches in the Upper Egypt region were hit by fires in the last three weeks which, the Copts say, is “not a coincidence”. On Friday morning 1 November  a fire started in an adjacent hall of the Mar-Girgis (St George) al-Gyoushi Church  in the Shubra district of the capital Cairo; it was extinguished before causing severe damage and no-one was injured. However,...
Read More About Egypt: Series of fires in their churches ‘not a coincidence’, say Copts »